Matt Barnes comes full circle with Warriors

Matt Barnes reacts after being charged with a foul during the Western Conference semi-finals at Oracle Arena in May 2007.

Matt Barnes reacts after being charged with a foul during the Western Conference semi-finals at Oracle Arena in May 2007.

Photo: Kat Wade, SFC

Photo: Kat Wade, SFC

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Matt Barnes reacts after being charged with a foul during the Western Conference semi-finals at Oracle Arena in May 2007.

Matt Barnes reacts after being charged with a foul during the Western Conference semi-finals at Oracle Arena in May 2007.

Photo: Kat Wade, SFC

Matt Barnes comes full circle with Warriors

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NEW YORK — Matt Barnes’ body is covered with tattoos, each offering a window into the psyche of one of the NBA’s most polarizing players.

An angel adorns his left shoulder and a devil sits on his right. At the edge of his neck are prints of two small feet, tributes to his twin 8-year-old sons, Isaiah and Carter. Across Barnes’ shoulder blades read, “La Famiglia,” Italian for family.

Most visible is the script “Believe” that traverses the right side of his neck, in front of two praying hands. The tattoo, which he got before Warriors fans dubbed his 2006-07 team “We Believe,” has long been a personal edict: In a life defined by beaten odds, Barnes has come to recognize the importance of trusting himself.

Now, nine years after ending a two-season Warriors stint he considers the highlight of his career, he hopes Golden State can again provide a much-needed fresh start. Before the Warriors offered him their final roster spot this week, Barnes was nearly forced into retirement at 36 by a slew of off-the-court troubles.

“This has always been a special place,” said Barnes, who was signed Thursday after Kevin Durant suffered a knee injury that will sideline him at least four weeks. “It’s just great to be back.”

Barnes is the rare role player to reach his 14th NBA season. A former second-round pick from UCLA, he has built a career on scrapping for loose balls, setting textbook screens, cutting hard to the rim and standing up for teammates.

Barnes has never averaged more than 10.3 points per game or signed a contract that lasted more than two seasons. He is one of only four active players to have been on nine different teams, and his resume includes two stops apiece with the Clippers, Kings and Warriors.

Still, fans of advanced stats have long appreciated his understated, selfless playing style. Barnes is 138th all-time in Effective Field Goal Percentage, which adjusts for the fact that three-pointers count for more than two-point shots. Forbes named him the most underpaid player in the NBA four years ago.

“I love his competitive desire,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s crazy in a good way. You need guys like that.”

The first four years of Barnes’ career were spent toiling along professional basketball’s fringes. After stops with the Development League’s Fayetteville Patriots and the ABA’s Long Beach Jam, he ping-ponged among the Clippers, Kings, Knicks and 76ers.

In the summer of 2006, with no more offers from NBA teams, Barnes — a former All-America wide receiver at Del Campo High School in Sacramento County — considered trying out for the NFL. Then his old UCLA teammate, Baron Davis, invited him to a pick-up game at Golden State’s practice facility.

Warriors head coach Don Nelson was impressed enough to invite Barnes to training camp. The only problem was that the team had 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one more than the regular-season limit.

Barnes made the roster anyway. A month later, he filled in for flu-ridden Mickael Pietrus and carved out a regular rotation spot. Barnes’ high basketball IQ, athleticism and tenacity made him an ideal fit in Nelson’s position-less, run-and-gun style. On Dec. 26, 2006, during a win over Philadelphia, he tied a franchise record with seven three-pointers.

His place in club lore was cemented that spring against Dallas, when Barnes helped Golden State become the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to outlast a No. 1 seed in a seven-game set. It galvanized a long-suffering fan base and halted the club’s 16-year drought without a playoff-series win.

Along the way, Barnes developed some of his most lasting friendships. In the fall of 2007, after Barnes’ mother, Ann, died from cancer at age 50, the entire team made the 90-minute drive to Sacramento for the funeral. Davis and Stephen Jackson played games wearing red bracelets with “Ann” and a heart on them.

Losing his life’s biggest influence took an emotional toll on Barnes. He got injured, dropped out of the rotation and signed a one-year deal with the Suns the following summer.

“I know better than anybody that this is a business,” Barnes said. “You’re not supposed to show emotion or care. But as a human being, you always do care.”

Though many players tout Barnes as a great teammate, he has had issues reining in his fiery demeanor. Barnes was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in 2010. Two years later, Barnes was arrested for driving with a suspended license and threatening a police officer. He again made the tabloids in 2015 for a confrontation with then-Knicks head coach Derek Fisher.

After averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22 games with his hometown Kings, Barnes was waived Feb. 20 despite the fact he was owed nearly $6.5 million next season. General manager Vlade Divac said at the time that the decision was made for “culture” reasons. Two months earlier, Barnes had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in a Manhattan nightclub.

There wasn’t much of a market in free agency for a journeyman player with a lengthy police record. Late Tuesday night, while at his sons’ basketball practice in Los Angeles, Barnes’ phone rang. It was Kerr. Durant had just hyperextended his left knee in a loss to the Wizards, and the Warriors wanted to sign Barnes for added wing depth.

Jackson was one of the first people to hear the good news. As he stared at the text message from Barnes promising to “finish what we started” with Golden State, his eyes welled up with tears.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Jackson said. “You just got to believe.”

A rocky start: After being selected in the second round (45th overall) by Memphis, he plays more than a season in the D-League before signing with the Clippers. He is traded twice, waived twice and under contract with six different teams over his first three NBA seasons.

Warriors resurgence: He signs with Golden State before the 2006-07 season. An improved three-point shot (a career-high 36.6 percent in 2006-07) and tough defense earn him a rotation spot as the Warriors make an improbable playoff run. He plays two seasons in Oakland before signing with Phoenix.

Tough guy: He has spent the past nine seasons embracing the role of getting under the skin of the opponent’s top player, including several clashes with Kobe Bryant. Barnes has made the playoffs each of the past seven seasons with four teams.